What is your controversial railway opinion/idea?

[Norther Monkey]

Consumption of alcohol should be outlawed on all forms of public transport.

 

[aylesbury]

Electrify Aylesbury Marylebone via High Wycombe and also Marylebone to Brum and please keep the same TOC on Chiltern.

 

[DenmarkRail]

Move to a 25% nationalised, 25% franchised, 50% open access system

Introduce a more integrated system of transport (move bus stations, to railway stations)

Allow private companies to open / build their own railways (not sure if this is allowed now)

Re gauge busy lines for double decker trains

Franchise network rail

 

[Indigo Soup]

High quality express trains between principal urban centres should be provided with luggage vans and at least a buffet car (a restaurant car where appropriate), and only call at the principal stations in major urban centres, running at the highest permissible speed in between. And this should include trains which don't call at London - thinking especially Trans-Pennine and Cross-Country.

 

[GusB]

Class 91 and mk4 stock will be completely destroyed to eliminate any possibility of re-use once they've lived out they're lives on the ECML, and the whole process will be recorded by means of a Channel 5 documentary. While we're waiting for the ECML sets, an immediate start is to be made on Class 60

 

[mmh]

Voyagers are fine

 

[gordonthemoron]

Turn the all motorways into highspeed railways

 

[AM9]

Season tickets for Anytime travel shall be priced as follows:
Annual to be 464 times the corresponding walk-up Anytime Single fare with a percentage discount of three times the prevailing RPI rate at the previous August
Weekly to be 42 times the corresponding walk-up Anytime Single fare with a percentage discount of the prevailing RPI rate at the previous August
Weekly to be 10 times the corresponding walk-up Anytime Single fare with a percentage discount of half the prevailing RPI rate at the previous August

 

[ComUtoR]

Remove the clock face timetable and have a bus style 10xx and then approximately every X minutes. Or tube style where it just states how long till the next train.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

First class should take half of all long distance trains. If you want a seat, pay more. Simple as.

All trains should be immediately scrapped and replaced upon reaching the age of 25.

Under 5s should have to be in possession of a ticket. Just them being on a train tends to ruin the journey for other passengers so why should they go free?

Age 16+ only carriages.

 

[driver_m]

The next vehicle order for the South East should have 4 wheeled coaching stock in a similar manner to a 142!

 

[Mag_seven]

Strikes to be outlawed on all public transport with disputes resolved by binding arbitration.

 

[Moonshot]

Turn the all motorways into highspeed railways

Surely you mean concrete over all railways and turn them into bus lanes only?

 

[superkev]

Declare most of the Northern Raul network as light rail as not much of it exceeds Tram speeds by much. The recent re-signalling of the Blackpool line to just 70mph is awfull
Think of the saving. No signalling, no footbridges, no lifts no guards etc etc.
K

 

[mrcheek]

Consumption of alcohol should be outlawed on all forms of public transport.

not controversial at all, I would agree 100%

 

[NorthKent1989]

Lounge style seats like the old Connex Brighton Express

Buffet trolleys on outer suburban lines

 

[mrcheek]

Settle to Carlisle is dull and boring, the most over-rated railway in Britain.

All trains should have a First Class section, even Pacers (well, maybe excluding the Class 139.....)
And anyone who even dares to enter a First Class section without a First Class ticket should be thrown off the train whilst it is still moving.....

Privatisation had many flaws, but is infinitely better than British Rail.

Nothing involving the railways is anywhere near as bad as the media would have us believe

All buffet cars should be removed, and all meal services stopped. An at seat service of drinks and snacks is all that is required.

 

[mmh]

LNER should save the taxpayer money by replacing first class food service with 500 complimentary nectar points instead.

 

[ScotTrains]

Classier Trains.

All trains, no matter how small, should have a reasonable amount of 1st class space. It should be priced so that the loading percentage is similar to that of standard class on that particular service.

Intercity trains should have a third (possibly fourth as on the continent) class. eg economy, second, business and first. This would cater for the needs/budgets of different passengers.
This would maximise revenue for the railways and allow cheaper (no frills) fares. Everyone would be happy!

 

[Cowley]

A return to the Big Four, including monthly prestigious rival speed attempts on certain routes.

GWR To be granted permission to develop a larger gauge to make trains more comfortable and potentially better at cornering (around two and half feet wider than standard gauge should do it).

Some kind of alternative power for the hills in Devon would be useful, maybe an atmospheric system could be trialled?

Any type of seat deemed uncomfortable by any member of this forum to be removed and replaced with beanbags.

 

[31160]

Ban bloody kettles off the main line, they can't cope with the modern cluttered railway

 

[deltic]

Colours used on rolling stock must be limited to shades used in Michael Portillo's blazers

 

[pitdiver]

Serco should run a through sleeper to Thurso from London.

 

[Cowley]

Colours used on rolling stock must be limited to shades used in Michael Portillo's blazers

And all doors to be the colour of his beige slacks?

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Mine has alrwady been said but I will echo it: the S&C is exceptionally overrated.

 

[underbank]

All trains, no matter how small, should have a reasonable amount of 1st class space.

I always thought the older DMUs had the right balance. Just one first class compartment at one end, just 12 seats. But the best thing that it wasn't in the middle, so people not having to walk through. Whoever thought first class in the middle of a corridor train was a good idea? (I also liked the old DMUs because of the view, but that's even more off topic).

 

[neilmc]

Make the ENCTS bus pass valid on all trains, effectively giving pensioners a free annual all line rover.

Because the S&C is so wonderful, give it a half-hourly ten-coach service hauled by steam locos based at Leeds Holbeck, Skipton and Carlisle Kingmoor to accommodate all those pensioners who ride for free.

Build 55 new Britannia pacifics to haul all those new trains on the S&C.

 

[Islineclear3_1]

Bring back semaphore signalling on lattice posts

 

[Ianno87]

Consumption of alcohol should be outlawed on all forms of public transport.

Eating of citrus fruit should be outlawed.

 

[xotGD]

All new passenger stock to be slam-door loco-hauled with droplights for flailing and opening windows instead of aircon. Plus all seats aligned with windows arranged in bays of four around a table.

And decent coffee.